Safety checks at cemetery where boy, 4, killed

Headstones at a Lancashire cemetery where a four-year-old boy was killed when a gravestone fell on him are to be safety checked, a council has said.

Ribble Valley Council is checking all headstones at the cemeteries it manages and if they are judged unsafe they could be laid on the ground.

Future decisions will then need to be made about potential repairs, either by burial plot owners, relatives or councillors.

The action follows the death of Eli Testa in July, who suffered fatal injuries when part of a memorial fell on to him at Rawtenstall Cemetery, managed by Rossendale Borough Council.

An inquest into Eli’s death was opened and adjourned in July and the Health & Safety Executive was notified.

Information was put up at the cemetery, reminding grave owners about their responsibilities to keep the plots in a safe condition.

Ribble Valley Council is responsible for cemeteries in Clitheroe, Gisburn and Chipping.

The safety checks were discussed at a council meeting, where a report said “it was imperative that memorials in council-owned or managed cemeteries be assessed to identify if they pose an imminent danger to the public or council groundsmen”.

Council officer Andrew Dent said groundsmen had started checking the old section of Waddington Road Cemetery, because of the the old age and size of memorials.

Some very large memorials may have a temporary warning sign placed on them, to alert the public.

Once initial checks have been done, a report will be sent to councillors, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Committee chairman Mark Hindle welcomed the report and said he has an interest in looking after cemeteries.

He mentioned Roe Lee at Blackburn, which includes the grave of a Blackburn Rovers FC founder, which he said is “a bit ramshackle”.